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Found in everything from space shuttles to dental fillings, composite materials have thoroughly infiltrated modern society. But their potential is still greatly untapped, offering researchers ample opportunity for discovery.

charged

High Power on the Go

Engineer harnessing high-power source to fuel everything from cellphones to military ships

Lithium-ion batteries pack a lot of power and energy into a relatively small size—and that’s part of the problem. Assistant Professors David Wetz (electrical engineering) and Ankur Jain (mechanical and aerospace engineering) are working to ensure that the batteries used to deliver power to demanding devices are modeled correctly and operated safely.

With funding from the Office of Naval Research, the researchers are studying the operational behavior and thermal properties of lithium-ion batteries in extremely high-power and high-energy applications.

“Lithium-ion batteries heat up considerably, especially when used at the high current rates that the Navy plans to use them at in high continuous and pulsed power applications,” Dr. Wetz explains. “That heat can cause the battery to age more quickly if not properly managed. We need to understand how to predict the batteries’ temperature rise and how to safely cool them to maintain both the life and safety of the battery.”

While their research is focused on how these batteries might be useful for the Navy, the results of their study have far-reaching implications for any sector that uses lithium-ion batteries as a high-power source.

“The potential of batteries has only begun to be explored for both civilian and defense applications,” Wetz says. “It is clear that they will become more widely integrated into society in the years to come.”